Darwins...I just will never go there again if I have my wits about me. I went in yesterday for a look around with a coworker and the woman working on the right side of the store was such an unbelievable $#@%. I could not believe it. I've worked in retail before, and I know it can be rough, but this was a mean and unprovoked attack for sport.

was this the location out on mt auburn, or the one on kirkland? i've had pretty terrible experiences at the mt auburn location, but have been to the kirkland location probably a dozen times w/o noticeable attitude.

I love the chickpea soup at Cafe Pamplona. They also have a black bean soup and gazpacho (not for winter), but I haven't tried them. The chickpea soup was a light puree (not gloppy) with a slight kick of heat from some type of chili pepper, and there was probably some saffron in there too. Served with a slice of unremarkable bread, $3.95 for a bowl.

It's a chain, but I have enjoyed the ebi kare lomen at Wagamama (from their website: a spicy soup made from lemongrass, coconut milk, shrimp paste, red chillies, fresh ginger and galangal. served with ramen noodles and garnished with marinated grilled shrimp, beansprouts, cucumber, cilantro and a wedge of lime).

Just an update - I had the parsnip and apple soup at Crema yesterday (the tomato bisque wasn't an option) and it was very very good. Now I have two soups at Crema that I love. Creamy but not overly rich, not too salty, with julienned bits of apple for a little crunch. MMMMMM

Totally agree, and wish I had known it was on the menu today! I am crunched at work, so made do with a quick trip to the Market for their perfectly decent chicken noodle soup, but wish I had taken the time to go to Crema instead.